1. Field
This application relates to systems and methods of automatic knowledge search for access to information stored in computer-based database systems. More specifically, the present application relates to knowledge searches based on accessing information contained in data bases of cause-effect relationships.
2. Description of Related Art
The process of innovation within organizations remains largely untouched by the general trend toward improved efficiency through automation. The traditional model of stimulating innovative thought is through the application of psychological techniques such as brainstorming. These techniques bring limited improvement to the process.
More recently, there have emerged a number of computer based technologies which can be applied by a researcher or designer who is considering the creation or improvement of a device, process, or other system. These technologies can be defined as problem analysis tools.
Problem analysis tools assist the user by enabling the user to consider a complex system and identify discrete problems which should be addressed. These tools accomplish this by providing computer based interfaces which assist in the application of well understood methods of problem analysis including, but are not limited to, root cause analysis, TRIZ, value engineering, function analysis, and system benchmarking. An example of such a tool, called TechOptimizer™, is a computer system marketed by Invention Machine Corporation of Boston, Mass. The technology used in TechOptimizer™ to assist in problem analysis is partially described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,428 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,043. The system disclosed in these two patents is fully described in TechOptimizer™ user guide, version 4.0, Invention Machine Corporation, Boston, Mass.
The TechOptimizer™ software suite includes a module, which allows a user to build a functional model of the design and/or technological process, to perform value diagnostics of the design and/or technological process, identify a better (for example, higher value) configuration of the design and/or technological process, and identify what problem has to be solved in order to implement this new configuration.
The deficiency with problem analysis tools is that while they greatly aid in the identification of specific issues to be addressed, they do not provide solutions to the identified problems. In U.S. Patent Appl. Pub. No. 20050114282, “Method for Problem Formulation and for Obtaining Solutions from a Data Base,” a method for problem formulation and for obtaining solutions from a data base is described wherein a problem statement is automatically extracted from a machine representation of a system, the problem statement is reformulated as a natural language query, the query is submitted to a database, and the results of the query are returned thereby greatly facilitating the process of locating solutions to problems.
However, there exists a class of situations in the use of problem analysis tools which do not yield to the technique above. In these situations a researcher or designer must consider a specific event and consider either the causes of that event or the effects created by that same event.
This can be easily understood by considering the process of the method of situation analysis commonly referred to as root cause analysis. In this analytical process, the researcher may begin with a statement of an undesirable event which is under investigation, for example “product sales are declining.” The researcher will then consider what the possible causal events of the undesirable event are. It may be the case that the researcher identifies as causal events: competitor gaining market share, customers have difficulty in finding product, and customer perceives decline in product quality. The research will then consider for each of the cited causal events what are the possible causal events of the identified causal events. The researcher will continue with iterative analysis until a set of events are identified which represent potentially solvable causes of the original undesirable event. This type of analysis is very effective and in wide use. However, it is also difficult because the research has no well defined methods for identifying the causes of events and is largely dependant on personal domain knowledge.
A similar problem exists in identifying the effects of a known situation. For example in the discipline commonly known as Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA), the researcher will identify a number of known modes of failure of a system. The researcher must then for each failure mode articulate the effects of this failure mode. Just as with the case of the researcher performing a root cause analysis, the FEMA researcher is left to rely on personal domain knowledge to identify the effects of any particular failure mode.
In both of these situations, if the user does not have adequate domain knowledge, the user must conduct independent research using whatever means are available to find useful information. These means could include using books, public internet search engines, private data subscription services, internal enterprise portals, or other sources of relevant technical information.